Research has stated that dementia can be slowed down by keeping a mind active.

Robert Wilson, a professor of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago said, "We do think that a cognitively active lifestyle is protective up to some point."

Development of dementia can be staved off by keeping an active mind by doing things like playing chess.

But researchers have stated that this protection does not hold up indefinitely.

About 1,157 people who were 65 years and more were recruited in a study by Wilson and his colleagues.

None of the participants had dementia when the study began. Each participant was asked during face-to-face interviews about how often did they get involved in mind stimulating activities.

Wilson added, “Things such as reading a newspaper, listening to the radio, going to a museum, or playing a board game such as chess or checkers was asked and a score on a cognitive activity scale. The more frequently people engaged in stimulating activities, the higher their score.”

Researchers were able to note about a decade later that rate of cognitive decline was reduced by 52 percent for each point on the cognitive activity scale among the seniors who didn't have dementia.